


brand new

by JB4RNES



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JB4RNES/pseuds/JB4RNES
Summary: little thing i wrote in the middle of the night. basically the product of my frustration over nat's lack of canon birthday.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	brand new

“Natasha?” Her and Steve were strewn out over the furniture in their mutual favourite living room. It was serenely quiet. Natasha figured the rest of the team were out. She was reading some corny adult fiction, Steve's pencil quietly scratching away. He was probably drawing her. She had long shed her frustration of his sketching habit. 

“Hm?” She lifted her head to look at him. 

“When’s your birthday?” 

“What’re you scheming, Rogers?” She threw out teasingly. 

“Nothing! Just wanna know. You’ve never mentioned it.” He was looking at Natasha with that sick quizzical look he always put on when he didn't understand something. He looked somewhere between a little kid and a puppy. Either way, no one could ignore him when he did it. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Don’t know.” She said softly. It wasn't a secret, but it felt like one. 

“What?” 

“My birthday. Never mentioned it ‘cause I don’t know.” Natasha looked Steve in the eyes. Those stupid, curious blue eyes. 

“Oh.” He looked down. 

“Yeah.”

“How come?”

“Burned it.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Then again the Red Room might've not known. Or they destroyed any public records of me existing. Can't make good spies out of people who've had lives.” Natasha had no idea why she was telling him all this. Anyone else and she would've deflected till they dropped it. But there was something about Steve that made her want to talk about her life. Maybe it was knowing he understood being out of place. God, did he understand. 

"Guess not."

"Burned 'em all, too. Buildings, houses. They're gone. Couldn't let them come back." This was further than she meant to go. Damn Steve for being the only comforting presence this side of the millennium. 

“That’s... good. I’m glad.” He was almost whispering, now. 

“Me too.” She glanced at him, hoping to convey some kind of understanding between them. 

“Does it bother you? Not knowing?” 

“Used to. Don’t think about it much now. Doesn’t seem important. I don’t know where I’m from either. Doesn’t bother me, doesn’t not bother me. It just _is _. Makes it easier to become whoever I need to be, anyways." It was true.__

__“Makes sense.”_ _

__“I guess. Still not normal.”_ _

Steve gave her a dry look, as if to say _What about any of us is normal?_

____

____

____

____

____

____“Do you want one?” He said after a beat._ _ _ _

____

____“Birthday?”_ _ _ _

____

____“Yeah.”_ _ _ _

____

____“Maybe.” Did she?_ _ _ _

____

____“So make one.”_ _ _ _

____

____“Is it that easy?”_ _ _ _

____

____“‘Course. Military did it for me. There’s hardly a person out there who knows my real one now. But it’s okay, ‘cause they don’t need to.”_ _ _ _

____

____“Alright.” Natasha was strangely okay with the idea of the prospect of making up a birthday. It had always been such a human thing. Not necessary._ _ _ _

____

____“You know what year?” _Shit _.___ _ _ _

____

______"1928." She said plainly, the hint of a smirk playing on her lips._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Huh?" Steve's eyes went wide. Natasha almost laughed._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Not the only senior in our merry band of misfits." She shrugged._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"I don't-" Steve was dumbstruck. She'd definitely save the mental image of him gaping at her for the next time she needed amusement._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Winter soldiers weren't the only ones who got juiced up with that botched serum, Steve. I was a high ranking operative. They were still recovering from the war, couldn't afford for their prized posessions to age too quickly. Or get injured."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Shit, Nat." Now he was looking all defeated. Natasha sometimes forgot how horrifying even the plainest of details about her past were. She’d been numb to it for longer than she could remember. Not to mention Steve was an honest-to-god human. No matter how much shit was thrown his way he’d still be shocked when someone else was suffering. Natasha kind of wanted to punch him for being naive. Or maybe keep him safe so he never lost that stupid faith in the world._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"S'okay, Steve. Not a big deal." She shrugged it off._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"What, living forever?"_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"If your sorry ass can handle it, I'll manage. Got this far, anyways. Better than you can say, Frosty."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"’28, huh?" Natasha internally thanked him for dropping the heavy subject._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Yeah."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"I got last rites twice in the winter of '28. Not a single night I didnt think I was gonna kick it in my sleep that year." Oh, Steve._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"All-round shitty time, then." She forced out a small laugh._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Lotta things were shitty back then." Steve smiled back._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Glad I don't remember it, then."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Hm. You have any idea what month?” Back to the interrogation, then._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Nope. Always liked March, though."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Me, too. Could finally worry less about dying."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Good time to blend in. Be new."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Steve was back to looking at her, this time with one of his rare unreadable expressions. He almost looked like he was studying Natasha. Ever the artist, she figured._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Always liked doing undercover ops when the snow was melting."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Buck's born in March."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Oh?"_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Yeah. The tenth."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"How 'bout the fourteenth, then?"_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Yeah. Sounds nice."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Hm. Two sevens. Even. Always liked even days better when I was a kid." It was a lie. She didn’t like things as a kid. If she had, they’d taken that from her too. She couldn’t handle another harsh conversation though. Not to mention Steve’s kicked puppy eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"I liked the odd ones. Thought they were lucky."_ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"Of course you did, Steve." Natasha chuckled._ _ _ _ _ _

____

______"March fourteenth, then." Steve was smiling softly at her now. She couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed at him for it. He was so good, it was sickening.___ _ _ _

____

________"Guess so." She said blankly, avoiding his gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

________"You're brand new, Natasha Romanoff."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

**Author's Note:**

> nothing to say just love them.


End file.
